The solar energy industry is expanding at a rapid pace. Much of that expansion is due to increases in residential and small commercial photovoltaic (PV) installations. Increasingly these installations are directly connected to the utility grid without the use of batteries. Inverters are the power electronics equipment that converts DC electricity produced by PV panels (collectively a PV array) into AC required by the grid.
An inverter can be a complex device, difficult to install and repair. An inverter is often heavy and can be difficult to hold in place while mounting on a wall. An inverter can contain many components, which are often tightly packed within an enclosure. With such an inverter, field servicing is impractical and shipping the inverter to a service center is required, resulting in many days or weeks with the inverter out of service.
It would be advantageous to provide an inverter that is easy to mount on a wall and which is easy to service in the field.